-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Violence between competing unions at South Africa 's mines is threatening to weaken Africa 's largest economy .

On Wednesday , the world 's top platinum producer , Anglo American , suspended all of its operations in Rustenburg , South Africa due to `` intimidation '' of its workers . Striking workers are also halting operations at some gold mines .

The move follows strike-related violence at Lonmin 's Marikana mine in August that left 44 dead .

What triggered the violence ?

The 34 miners in the Lonmin mine in Marikana , South Africa , died after police opened fire on a gathering of thousands of machete-armed workers striking for higher wages . The shootings came after deaths earlier in the week , including those of two police officers who were hacked to death . The violence exploded when police shot at striking rock drillers in the `` Easterns '' area of the Marikana mine . Tensions have been high in part because of the presence of competing trade unions , the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union -LRB- AMCU -RRB- and the National Union of Mineworkers -LRB- NUM -RRB- .

Read more : Inquiry launched into mine shootings

The mine , about two hours northwest of Johannesburg , is operated by Lonmin , which is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and Johannesburg Stock Exchange , and is the world 's third largest platinum producer . The bulk of its 28,000 employees work at the mine , and around 23 % belong to the AMCU .

The violence has prompted some people to draw parallels with the country 's days of apartheid rule , which ended in 1994 .

South African 's president , Jacob Zuma , has opened an inquiry into the incident .

What is behind the conflict ?

Rivalry between the AMCU and the NUM is widely blamed for feeding the violence . The AMCU , which has expanded rapidly this year at the expense of NUM , is seen as the more militant union and has been linked to aggressive tactics to win wage increases .

It has gained ground in an environment where workers have been dissatisfied with improvements in quality of life since the end of apartheid , particularly for those in the lower wage brackets .

At Marikana , 3,000 rock drill operators at the mine stopped work as they tried to force an increase in their wages , from ZAR5 ,400 -LRB- $ 648 -RRB- a month to ZAR12 ,500 -LRB- $ 1,500 -RRB- a month .

Tensions increased over the following days , with AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa declaring the members were prepared to `` die here '' if necessary .

The stand-off later escalated into violence , leaving 34 dead , 78 injured and 259 arrested on various charges , according to South Africa National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega .

The violence follows other fatal incidents including a six-week strike at Impala Platinum -LRB- Implats -RRB- in February , which left three dead , and an attack on Aquarius Platinum in August which also left three people dead .

The push for higher wages comes after the AMCU was `` clearly emboldened '' by a strike at Implats ' Rustenberg mine in February which resulted in a 125 % increase in wages , analysts at Eurasia Group noted .

The outcome set a `` problematic precedent for platinum companies in South Africa , '' Africa analyst Mark Rosenberg said .

Alison Turner , analyst at Panmure Gordon & Co , said the emergence of the AMCU `` represents the single biggest risk to the platinum sector , particularly as many of the incidents in which the AMCU has been implicated have involved violence . ''

According to Rosenberg , however , violence at Marikana could prove to be detrimental to the union 's aggressive recruitment strategy .

Who is to blame for the Marikana shootings ?

While union rivalry is being blamed for the friction , it is unclear who triggered the first shots at Marikana , which is one of the country 's bloodiest incidents since the end of apartheid in 1994 . Police have said they were bringing in barbed wire to fence the miners , and used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse them . According to Phiyega , a militant group of strikers then fired on police who said they were forced to use `` maximum force '' to defend themselves .

Video from the incident shows police shooting for some minutes at protesters , kicking up dust . When the dust clears , several bodies are shown lying on the ground . The video appeared to show the police response was `` very forceful , '' Turner said .

The South African Institute for Race Relations said that policemen randomly shot into the crowd with rifles and handguns . `` There is also evidence of their continuing to shoot after a number of bodies can be seen dropping and others turning to run . This is reminiscent of the Sharpeville massacre in 1960 , '' the institute said .

In a press conference Phiyega said it was not a time for placing blame , but `` a time for us to mourn . ''

Late last month , a regional prosecutor charged 270 of the platinum miners with the murder of their colleagues , who are believed to have been shot by police . However , the charges are being dropped .

What do the unions say ?

The two implicated unions , accused of trying to outdo each other in negotiating wages , denied instigating the clashes . AMCU general secretary Jeff Mphahlele told CNN the union could not be blamed . `` We are a peaceful organization and we do not condone violence , '' he said . Mphahlele said police initially shot at the protesters from behind , although when asked if they shot first he said : `` I was not there , '' adding : `` The killing of those people was not necessary . '' He said Mathunjwa 's reference to being prepared to die was in response to fears the police would attack .

Frans Baleni , head of the NUM , said Monday that its members were under siege . `` Our members have been attacked , and that can not be said to be clashes or rivalry , it is pure criminality , '' he said .

Is the government tarnished ?

The NUM is a close ally of the country 's ruling African National Congress and its inability to stop the violence and weakened role is expected to drag on Zuma , according to Rosenberg . The immediate impact is likely to be Zuma 's pitch for re-election to head the party in December , he added .

Re-election is `` significantly less likely '' Rosenberg said . While there is no formal challenger to the role yet , this could spur the emergence of one , he added .

People are no longer willing to sit and wait around for the ANC to deliver , Rosenberg said . `` They are becoming more and more impatient and they 're becoming more and more violent as a result . ''

What is the impact on Lonmin ?

Lonmin has so far missed out on around $ 75 million in lost production , and the workers have n't been paid for a month .

The company said last week that a `` peace accord '' had been signed , but key unions had not agreed to the deal .

Lonmin acting CEO Simon Scott said the company and unions have agreed to `` negotiate to address the wage demands within a legal framework . '' He added , `` We simply ask that those negotiations happen in an environment free of intimidation and violence . ''

The company has previously announced its chief executive Ian Farmer had been diagnosed with a serious illness and was in hospital . It was unrelated to the mine incident .

CNN 's Moni Basu contributed to this story

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More than 30 miners died after police opened fire on striking workers who were armed with machetes

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Rivalry between the AMCU and the NUM is widely blamed for feeding the violence

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The two implicated unions denied instigating the clashes , and are blaming others for the violence

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President Jacob Zuma , of the country 's ruling African National Congress , has announced an inquiry into the violence